The Furious Spinner

We decided not to dally in Los Angeles. We didn’t really have any place in particular we wanted to go in L.A., so we decided to stop at a natural foods store and then be on our way. We took the 210, so we were able to avoid the worst congestion. Ventura Highway was stop and go. I recalled last year driving down the Ventura Highway in my rented car, alone, with the radio turned up. It was a clear, sunny, beautiful day. Today, Winter Solstice, it was warm and sunny, but dirty air hung over much of the city like a coriander-colored blanket. We stopped in Pasadena for a few groceries and then headed out.

My allergies got really bad again this morning. I wondered if maybe the hotel people were lying to me; maybe they really did use pesticides. No way to know. But I did some acupressure again today and it helped. I tried something new, something my acupuncturist showed me a couple weeks ago. I breathed in as I pressed on the point and then released pressure as I breathed out—and for the first time, I could feel a kind of burst or pulse at the point as I breathed out. When I first tried acupressure years ago, I remember reading that I’d find a pulse at the right place. But I could only ever find a blood pulse. What I felt now was completely different from a blood pulse, even though the best way to describe it is to call it a pulse. I think what this process was doing was releasing spent chi. I’ll have to ask my acupuncturist. (Deb?) In any case, I started to feel better.

We were able to get Air America on the radio for a while as we left the L.A. area, but as we headed into the desert past Palm Springs Air America disappeared to be replaced by Bill O’Unreliable and someone sitting in for Sean Hamitup, so we listened to the Power of Now. As we went up hill for several miles, we passed several small reservoirs of water for radiators. Above the circular concrete reservoirs was a sign that read, “Caution. Possible Bee Activity.” Killer bees, we wondered, or Just-rough-them-up-a-bit bees.

We is in the desert fer sure. I’ve lived in the West now nearly my entire adult life. The West is all about water: who’s got it, who’s got rights to it, who can get it. Even in the Pacific Northwest. (Cadillac Desert is a good book to read about this issue.) Los Angeles is the city it is today (for good or bad) because of water—because William Mulholland was able to wrangle (some say steal) water from Owens Valley. Mario and I were talking about all this as we drove toward L.A. in the dark last night, going up and up and up, along with four lanes of traffic, walls of rock on either side of us.

“So Hollywood came into existence after they got the water?” I asked.

Mario said, “No, the movie industry was already out here. They came from New York because the light was better out here. Back then film was not as sensitive to light so they needed the natural bright light. Los Angeles is where they went.”

I hadn’t known that.

At the Joshua Tree National Park, we got off the highway and drove into the park and stopped a couple miles in and just got out of the car and listened. Complete silence (except for the ringing in my ears, of course). After three days or nearly constant noise, it was exquisite. We took a few photos. (I’m a better writer when I don’t use photographs. Photos make me lazy. However, I still like posting them. I like looking at them, so you have two years of my more descriptive essays, so now you can have less words, more pictures.)

We breathed the warm desert air. Ahhhhh. Thank you for the light!

When we got to Blythe, we filled up the car and then drove to the parking lot of a motel to see if we could get online. And we could. We wanted to do a google search to find out how to get to the Vegetarian House in Phoenix. We’ll pick up a to-go order, then rendezvous with my bro-in-law, his mom (Hazel—you might remember her from last year), and my sister if she’s back from Yuma where she went today to do an audit. Isn’t it amazing what you can do with computers now. Having wi-fi has really made this trip easier. We debated whether we were “stealing” from the motel by dipping into their internet for a couple of minutes. We decided we weren’t because we weren’t costing them anything.

We gladly left California. For us road warriors (as Genevieve called us), CA rest areas suck. Prop. 13 impacted even these kinds of state services I suppose.

Now the sun is beginning to set. I feel good being here. Here in AZ. Yesterday I just wanted to go home. Now I’m in the Now, baby.

So I suppose instead of saying “later, gator,” I should say, “now, sow.” No, that doesn’t have the same ring. “Now, Tao.” Better.

We’re now about twenty miles from Phoenix, and we’re in stop and go traffic. The air is so dirty I want to take a shower just sitting in my car. (Yes, I understand I’m participating in the pollution-making.) I’ve got a hepa filter in my car, so we’re hoping that is protecting our lungs. Do you ever wonder what kind of world we live in? This is unacceptable. Yet the people all around us probably do this five days a week. I’m looking at the people around us. Most are alone in their car. AND most of them are driving SUVs. Now let me say this, where we live some people have an excuse to be driving pickups and SUVs. They live in mountainous terrain, have rough roads, with snow and ice. But here in Phoenix (same with the L.A. area)? Just asking.

Traffic has picked up. We’re goin’ in. Wish us luck.

P.S. All the advisory signs all say: HIGH POLLUTION THURSDAY. CAR POOL. TAKE BUS.

Uh-huh.

Ciao, baby.

P.S. No photos today; sorry. I’m at a Kinko’s so I’ll post photos tomorrow. By the way, please tell me no one is falling for the Bushy’s lame protestations that he is spying on us for our own good. 0 comments

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

All photographs and written material copyright © 2003-2008 by Kim Antieau unless otherwise indicated. May not be used without permission.